Kirk Dewayne Franklin, an American gospel choir director and singer, was born on January 26, 1970. Having been abandoned by his mother, and have never known his father, Kirk was raised by his aunt, a truly religious woman. At the tender age of 4, his aunt enrolled him in piano lessons. Being able to sight-read and play the piano by ear Franklin was granted a contract by the age of 7, but his aunt respectfully declined the offer. But Kirk was so talented that his aunt couldn’t stop what God had set out for him. At age 11, Kirk was now directing the choir at the Mt. Rose Baptist Church near Dallas, Texas.
By the 90’s, Kirk was making his name around the airways. Leading the choir called The Family, he made a platinum-selling debut, ‘Kirk Franklin and the Family’ in 1993, . The album was so great and successful that it crossed over genres charting in R&B and pop music. While continuing to lead the choir, Kirk recorded the album “Whatcha Lookin’ 4” which sealed Kirk’s stardom and won him a Grammy Award for the Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album. Kirk’s first solo album ‘The Rebirth of Kirk Franklin’ was released in 2002, reaching #4 on the billboard charts and spent 29 weeks on the Gospel charts. From then on, the only way was to go up.